Written Answers Friday 24 September 2010

Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought information on how many children of asylum seekers were detained at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre between January and August 2010 and, if so, what response it received.

Michael Russell: Unfortunately, the UK Border Agency does not provide statistical information on a month-by-month basis. However, it has published reports for the first two quarters of 2010 which are available on the UKBA website at:

  http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-publications.html.

  According to these reports a total of 25 children entered Dungavel detention centre before the end to the overnight detention of children in May 2010. However, they do not specify if the children were those of asylum seeking families.

  

Quarter (Period of Report)
Number of Children Entered Dungavel


1 (January 2010 to March 2010)
20


2 (April 201 to June 2010)
5


Total
25



  These figures are not subject to independent checks and therefore may not be wholly accurate. Some detainees may be recorded more than once, for example the person may have been detained on more than one separate occasion in the time period shown, such as a person who has left detention, but has subsequently been re-detained.

Asylum Seekers

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought information on how many children of asylum seekers initially registered in Scotland were detained in removal centres in England between January and August 2010 and, if so, what response it received.

Michael Russell: This information is not collected by the UK Border Agency.

Benefits

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Work and Pensions regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what briefings have been made available to it regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Jobcentre Plus regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made to ensure that it will be kept informed of the implementation of the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will keep the Parliament informed of the implementation of the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make briefing packs available for MSPs on the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Keith Brown: My officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus about the arrangements for the reassessment of customers in receipt of incapacity benefits. Discussions are continuing around the ongoing developments including the trial of the process which will commence in Aberdeen and Burnley on 11 October. Officials are also monitoring developments in relation to DWP’s review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which it will use to support the reassessment of incapacity benefit. Copies of a DWP briefing pack on reassessing customers in receipt of incapacity benefits are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51313).

Child Protection

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the new national guidelines on child protection, as is outlined in its 2010-11 programme for government.

Adam Ingram: The new national guidance on child protection is due to be published in the late autumn 2010.

Cycling

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what Transport Scotland’s budget was in 2009-10 and what proportion of it was allocated to cycling and pedestrian improvements along or near trunk roads.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland’s trunk road capital budget was £256.8 million in 2009-10 of which £1.35 million was spent on standalone cycling and walking improvements along or near trunk roads. In addition cycling and walking provision was a feature of capital road improvements and maintenance including 20km of cycleways within the A977 Clackmannanshire Bridge, A830 Arisaig to Loch nan Uamh, A9 Helmsdale and A68 Dalkeith Northern Bypass. The actual spend on this element cannot be separated out because of the fixed price lump sum nature of trunk road contracts.

Cycling

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change has for cycling and pedestrian improvements on trunk roads in the Aberdeen commuter area for 2010 to 2015.

Stewart Stevenson: Cycling and walking facilities feature in the proposals for A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and A90 Balmedie-Tipperty. Elsewhere Transport Scotland is concentrating standalone trunk road cycling and walking efforts between 2010 and 2015 in completion of the National Cycle Network (NCN) between Oban and Fort William and between Fort William and Inverness. The NCN is already complete in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire.

Cycling

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes it has made to the transport budget to achieve its target for 10% of journeys to be made by bicycle by 2020.

Stewart Stevenson: Following the publication of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland and the commitment to achieving a 10% modal share for bicycles, Scottish Government investment in cycling increased from £11.5 million in 2009-10 to £17.3 million in 2010-11, an increase of over 50%. For the forthcoming spending review, Ministers are considering how to make best use of the available capital budget and their conclusions will be reported to Parliament on 17 or 18 November.

Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities it has consulted regarding its proposals to cease the collection and publication of a range of national education statistics; when the consultation was undertaken; what the findings were, and whether the findings are available publicly.

Michael Russell: Users of Scottish Government Schools Statistics have been invited to express their views on draft proposals for changes to the scope and format of schools statistics. The online survey is available on the Scottish Government website between 25 August and 28 September 2010. A survey invite was also sent to a wide range of known users. This includes all 32 local authorities, Directors of Education (or equivalent), COSLA, HMIE, LTS, SQA, SCIS, GTCS, teacher unions, Parent Councils, Parliament staff, the media sector and SCOTSTAT members (a network of registered statistics users).

  A summary of the findings will be published on the Scottish Government Schools Statistics website in due course.

Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what stakeholders it has consulted regarding its proposals to cease the collection and publication of a range of national education statistics; when the consultation was undertaken; what the findings were, and whether the findings are available publicly.

Michael Russell: Users of Scottish Government Schools Statistics have been invited to express their views on draft proposals for changes to the scope and format of schools statistics. The online survey is available on the Scottish Government website between 25 August and 28 September 2010. A survey invite was also sent to a wide range of known users. This includes all 32 local authorities, Directors of Education, COSLA, HMIE, LTS, SQA, SCIS, GTCS, teacher unions, Parent Councils, Parliament staff, the media sector and SCOTSTAT members (a network of registered statistics users).

  A summary of the findings will be published on the Scottish Government Schools Statistics website in due course.

Environment

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many football training facilities are available in each local authority area.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Not all local authorities have in place sports pitch and facility strategies which outline current provision and help to determine future priority areas based on local needs and priorities. As of September 2010, 18 local authorities have pitch strategies in place with a further eight local authorities in the process of preparing them. A wide range of practical and technical advice is available to local authorities from sportscotland on the preparation of sports pitch and facility strategies and on the planning and development of facilities more generally.

  The Scottish Government has invested over £17 million in quality facilities through the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy which will have a significant positive impact on football. These include indoor and outdoor synthetic football pitches at Aberdeen Sports Village, Toryglen Regional Football Centre, both of which are open to the public, with the Ravenscraig Sports Facility due to open soon.

  In addition, sportscotland operate a Sports Facilities Fund which offers funding to eligible groups to help in the development and upgrading of facilities and since 2007 this has seen over £21 million invested in facilities throughout Scotland.

Environment

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold Glasgow City Council to account for any carbon emissions that are incurred from possible increases in air travel arising from the authority’s Air Route Development Fund.

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on possible increases in air travel and carbon emissions arising from Glasgow City Council’s Air Route Development Fund.

Stewart Stevenson: Whilst the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 places a duty on public bodies to contribute to reduction of carbon emissions in the course of exercising their functions, the act does not require Glasgow City Council to set sector-specific emission targets. Instead the act sets an overall net target for emissions reduction through totality of activity and seeks to ensure that the overall reduction is delivered in the most sustainable and cost effective way.

Environment

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology it considers local authorities should use when calculating the carbon emissions caused by direct and indirect financing of transport initiatives.

Stewart Stevenson: There is no standard methodology for calculating carbon emissions from transport. Which is the most appropriate ultimately depends upon the type of assessment being undertaken. However, we are working towards establishing a common approach to measurement and reporting of carbon emissions across the public sector.

Ferry Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on efforts to re-establish a ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle.

Stewart Stevenson: We continue to work closely with Argyll and Bute Council and Moyle District Council on this matter.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for an MRI scan, broken down by NHS board area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not collected centrally. Latest published figures for 30 June 2010, showed that no patient had waited more than four weeks for a MRI scan, two weeks shorter than the current waiting time standard.

Higher Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) Scottish, (b) UK, (c) EU and (d) non-EU students graduated from Scottish universities in each of the last five years.

Michael Russell: The following table shows the number of qualifiers from Scottish higher education institutions by domicile (pre-study location) in each academic year from 2003-04 to 2007-08. Data from academic year 2008-09 will be available from 29 September 2010.

  Qualifiers from Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by Domicile - 2003-04 to 2007-08

  

Academic Year
Total
Scotland
Rest of the UK
EU Excluding UK
Non-EU


2003-04
50,620
35,615
6,320
3,300
5,265


2004-05
57,745
40,865
6,745
3,650
6,485


2005-06
59,000
40,865
6,470
4,030
7,635


2006-07
60,910
41,730
6,445
4,385
8,345


2007-08
62,130
40,930
6,640
4,680
9,765



  Notes:

  Data supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  Qualifiers include all postgraduate and undergraduate level Higher Education (HE) qualifiers from Scottish HEIs.

  Values have been rounded to the nearest five.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any information it holds related to payments reportedly made by US authorities to key witnesses either before or after the trial of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, specifically payments to Tony Gauci, in relation to evidence he gave into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

Elish Angiolini: The only forum in which the Scottish Government or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) can make public any information connected to witnesses involved in the investigation and prosecution of the Lockerbie bombing is in judicial proceedings in Scotland.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of comments by the former Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, who has stated publicly in a television interview for Dutch television in 2009 that he was not aware that the timer fragment known as PT35 was sent to the United States of America for examination by FBI officials and that he would have opposed such transportation of this fragment on the basis of concerns that it might be lost in transit or provoke accusations that it had been tampered with.

Elish Angiolini: I am aware of comments reported to have been made by my predecessor, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie.

  The fragment of electronic timer recovered from the wreckage of flight Pan Am 103, known as PT35, was taken to the United States of America by Scottish police officers and a British forensic scientist in June 1990 as part of the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. The fragment remained in the custody and control of the Scottish police officers and the British forensic scientist during the visit to the United States and was subsequently identified as having come from an electronic timer manufactured by a Swiss company, MEBO, to the order of the Libyan intelligence service.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the reported comments of former FBI scientist Frederic Whitehurst implying that the FBI laboratory in Washington DC may constitute an additional crime scene with regard to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

Elish Angiolini: There is no evidence of any criminal act having been carried out in relation to any of the forensic evidence in the Lockerbie investigation.

  A fragment of electronic timer recovered from the wreckage of flight Pan Am 103, known as PT35, was taken to the FBI laboratory in Washington DC by Scottish police officers and a British forensic scientist in June 1990 as part of the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. The fragment remained in the custody and control of the Scottish police officers and the British forensic scientist during the visit to the United States and was subsequently identified as having come from an electronic timer manufactured by a Swiss company, MEBO, to the order of the Libyan intelligence service.

Justice

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by (a) type of crime and (b) police board area of reported crimes listed as handling of an offensive weapon in each of the last 10 years.

Kenny MacAskill: A table which includes the number of offensive weapons crimes reported to the police in the last 10 years has been prepared and a copy of this table will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51671).

Mental Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS psychiatric patients are being cared for in the private sector.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric patients are receiving either NHS or private treatment outwith Scotland.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not centrally available.

People with Disabilities

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Disability Working Group last met; what plans there are for future meetings, and what role the group has in informing policy on disability.

Alex Neil: The Disability Working Group was established by ministers as a strategic short-term group in 2004, following the European Year of Disabled People (EYDP) in 2003. The remit of the group was:

  to establish priorities for the Scottish Government and partner organisations to promote equality for disabled people in Scotland, and to

  develop proposals on longer term mechanisms for engagement with the disability sector.

  The report of the Disability Working Group, and the Scottish Government Response to the report, were published in November 2006, and the last meeting of the group was in September 2007.

  The Scottish Government has since taken forward work on Disability Equality through the high-level Independent Living In Scotland Core Reference Group, which has a much broader and more ambitious remit than the original Disability Working Group. The main remit of the group, which has formally met five times to date since September 2009, is to:

  Consider the actions necessary to progress Independent Living for disabled people, and to support their involvement in this process.

Public Transport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering or has considered the introduction of optional onboard restraints for bus passengers using wheelchairs or prams in order to improve safety.

Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation, including the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 which state that any forward facing wheelchair space must be fitted with a wheelchair restraint system and a lap belt, is reserved to the UK Parliament. I suggest that the member raises his concerns with the Department for Transport, the responsible UK department, which can be contacted at Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR.

Public Transport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken research into the potential costs associated with introducing optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams and, if so, what the result was of this research.

Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government has not undertaken any research in relation to the introduction of optional restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams. I suggest that the member raises his concerns with the Department for Transport, the responsible UK department, which can be contacted at Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR.

Public Transport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of injuries sustained by passengers on buses was incurred as a result of a lack of available restraints in each of the last four years.

Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of injuries sustained by passengers on buses incurred as a result of a lack of available restraints. I suggest that the member raises his concerns with the Department for Transport, the responsible UK department, which can be contacted at Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR.

Public Transport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations regarding the introduction of optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams.

Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government has not received any representations regarding the introduction of optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams. I suggest that the member raises his concerns with the Department for Transport, the responsible UK department, which can be contacted at Great Minister House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR.

Roads

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many compulsory purchases of land to enable the construction of the Floak to Fenwick extension of the M77 were (a) required, (b) outstanding at the date of completion of the works and (c) still outstanding on 1 August 2010.

Stewart Stevenson: (a) The compulsory purchase order linked to the M77 Fenwick to Floak special roads scheme required various plots of land from 34 landowners in order to build the scheme.

  (b) At the date of completion of the works, final settlement of land compensation payments was still to be reached with all 34 affected parties

  (c) On 1 August 2010, final settlement of land compensation was still outstanding in the case of 11 affected parties.

Roads

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when is the estimated date for completion of the final account for the construction of the Floak to Fenwick extension of the M77, including settlement of all associated compulsory purchases of land.

Stewart Stevenson: It is not possible to provide an estimated date for completion of the final account as this is dependent on the satisfactory conclusion of negotiations which are still continuing between the District Valuer and affected parties and/or their agents.

Roads

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of land acquisition for the construction of the Floak to Fenwick extension of the M77, including fees and other costs, (a) as estimated at project approval, (b) incurred to 1 August 2010 and (c) estimated for inclusion in the final account.

Stewart Stevenson: It is not possible to provide an exact figure for costs relating to land acquisition for the M77 Fenwick to Floak special roads scheme as all figures relating to the scheme were combined into a single project with the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh scheme. Records which show the estimated costs at the project approval stage no longer exist. However, land acquisition costs for the combined scheme are as follows:

  (a) In 2002, the estimated costs were approx. £2.1 million.

  (b) The actual spend to date is approx. £3.2 million.

  (c) The current estimated final cost of land acquisition and land compensation is £3.3 million.

Roads

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what principal cycling and pedestrian improvements for trunk roads are planned by Transport Scotland in 2010-11.

Stewart Stevenson: In 2010-11, Transport Scotland is continuing to prioritise trunk road cycling and walking efforts on completion of the trunk road sections and crossings for the National Cycle Network (NCN) in accordance with the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative (which now forms part of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland). Five sections of the A828/A82 Oban to Fort William Route 78 of the NCN are currently planned for 2010-11.

Special Advisers

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names of the special advisers currently in post; what their responsibilities are; what their pay bands are for 2010-11; how many special advisers are in each pay band, and what the total salary cost of employing special advisers was in 2009-10.

John Swinney: There are currently 10 special advisers including one part-time. The Special Advisers and their specific responsibilities are as follows:

  

Name
Specific Responsibilities


Kevin Pringle Senior Special Adviser
Strategic co-ordination across all portfolios, political spokesperson and senior adviser on communications issues. 


Noel Dolan Senior Special Adviser
Senior policy adviser to the Deputy First Minister on Health, Wellbeing, and Housing policy.


Alex Bell Senior Special Adviser
Senior adviser on policy matters, First Minister’s Questions, constitutional issues and renewable energy issues.


Geoff Aberdein Special Adviser
Liaison with FM’s Private office; adviser on FM diary issues. Lead on sports issues and 2014 Commonwealth Games including legacy.


Jennifer Erickson Special Adviser 
Support on Policy for Economic Issues (Part time)


Stephen Gethins Special Adviser 
Support on policy for Finance & Sustainable Growth, Europe and External Relations, Environment & Rural Affairs, Energy and Climate Change.


Colin McAllister Special Adviser 
Policy support for Education and Culture issues.


John McFarlane Special Adviser 
Policy Adviser on justice issues, Parliamentary liaison working with Minister for Parliamentary Business and the Parliamentary Liaison Officers


Will McLeish Special Adviser 
Political spokesperson, advice on communications issues and liaison with broadcasters.


Stuart Nicolson Special Adviser 
Political spokesperson, advice on communications issues.



  The number of salaried special advisers in each pay band from 1 April 2010 is:

  

Pay Band
Pay Range
Number of salaried Special Advisers


1
£39,445 – £52,904
5


2
£51,041 - £67,709
2


3
£65,017 - £83,963
3


3 (premium)
£83,549 - 100,942
0


4
£86,965 - 104,462
0



  The total salary cost for the 10 salaried special advisers in post in 2009-2010 including ERNIC and employer pension contributions was £701,627. By comparison the cost of the 12 Special Advisers employed by the previous administration in 2006-07 was £854,376.

Sport

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children receive football training in each local authority area.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. As the independent and recognised sports governing body for football the Scottish Football Association is responsible for the development of football in Scotland and the member may wish to contact them directly for this information:

  George Peat President The Scottish Football Association Hampden Park Glasgow  G42 9AY  Tel: 0141 616 6000  Email: info@scottishfa.co.uk.